Five 2024 Summer Stock-Risers – “Way” Under the Radar
ATLANTA, GA – Moving through all the classifications, I went back through my paper and mental notes to highlight a few guys who are REALLY flying under the radar right now, but potentially deserving of more attention.
Each could be teed up for a big upcoming ’23-24 season.
By: Keith Agran
Jackson Warren | 6-5 | 2024 | Woodstock
New head coach Eric Blair comes over from Kennesaw Mountian and inherits a roster with a ton of potential particularly building around rocket-rising 2027 Taj Saragba, at the OTR x SH Report Shootout in June Saragba did catch a lot of eyeballs but Warren too impressed our OTR staff, I like his size as a wing gunner which is where he likes to be spotting up along the 3-pt line, but he’s active on the defensive glass and a good defender around the basket with length and timing, has the look a small college player who will only get better once he’s on campus.
Mason Lawrence | 6-6 | 2024 | Cambridge
Lawrence did a ton to stand out in a steady spring before putting on a June with the Bears that definitely upped the ante on his recruitment potential in my view, a little stronger and surely a little more aggressive the last 5 months he seems to have gotten the internal message that he can play and unleashed some of that confidence to match and augment his natural ability, really good athlete off the deck as a rebounder and finisher and as he adds to his shooting range and consistency he can make a run at the next level and take with him the knowledge that when locked in he belongs there.
Deuce Lindsey | 6-0 | 2024 | Mays
Lindsey ranks among the smartest guys from the spring in that his move to Wood Elite not only amped up his profile in the scouting community but clearly amped his game as well, the Wood guys are superb instructors and even better motivators and you could see Lindsey benefitted from the kind of push you get playing in the Wood org, before he got there and surely during we saw he could flat-out shoot it with a stroke tailor-made for the next level, and as a scoring PG that component alone always packs some interest to folks at the next level who can never get enough deep shooting.
Carter Watkins | 6-3 | 2024 | Seckinger (pictured at top)
Lists himself at 6-3 but plays a whole lot bigger off the wing or as a physical PG who can push through people and yet quick enough to go around them as well, have been able to see his development the last 2 years pretty closely and the work has shown, with HoopATL this spring and summer he was at times dominant and any coaching staff with a pulse anywhere near his courts had to take notice, always been a cerebral player but toss in the maturity now as a senior with what should be another entertaining Seckinger core around him and this winter could be big for him and his mates in 4A.
Okil Freeman | 6-4 | 2024 | Cedar Grove
Certainly the move from Heritage to CGHS may mean more “exposure” on a stacked team looking to get back to the 3A Finals for another shot, but his trajectory was pointing upward to me anyway with good wing size and a sweet stroke and attack package that checks a lot of boxes in the offensive department, might have been a 15 ppg guy in Conyers so it will be interesting to see how he fits in with Manny Green and the Saints but this is still a player that was noteworthy coming out of the travel season and numbers aside can benefit a college roster.
Keith Agran has lived in Georgia since 2011 and joined OTR as a National Evaluator in 2021. He previously scouted for Prep Hoops dating back to 2019, and also spent 3 years as a sports writer at two newspapers in New Jersey. After a championship-coaching background on the HS-level also in NJ, he accepted the Girl’s Basketball Head Coaching position in May 2022 at Mt Bethel Christian Academy and now balances scouting and coaching still with a keen eye on talent around the region. You can reach him at keithagran1@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @BracketSage.
